My 1990 300zx Twin Turbo build by megaDan

5 minute(s) of a 731 minute read

Most importantly, it's been six and a half days and my BCS clone is still chugging along with consistent airlock activity. This is a very good sign. I've heard a lot of 'horror' stories about fermentation stalling out due to lack of aerating or a weak starter because of the incredibly high starting gravity of this beer. I was concerned I may not have aerated enough, but I guess my starter was pretty killer as fermentation started in under an hour and its been going strong for nearly a week. I am unbelievably excited for this beer and I'm thrilled it's gone so well thus far.

I didn't get too much done in the garage this weekend as we had family visiting. We've got a very small 'pod' if you will of people we're willing to closely associate with during the pandemic, and they're two of the roughly 6 our circle contains.

My before and after pictures are terrible unfortunately, so you'll have to take me at my word. I took a plastic and brass brush to my power steering pump with the help of simple green and gunk foamy and did a fantastic job of removing thick buildup of grime from the pump and hoses. Nobody will ever notice it, but it just makes sense to do it now while the pump is out.

Power steering pump and lines beforeAnd after

I spent a good hour with 2000 grit sandpaper cleaning up the passenger side block deck surface. It was very tedious work, but also somewhat enjoyable for 6am on a Saturday morning. I had my cup of coffee next to me and a short running documentary on the TV to keep my mind engaged. And of course my dumbass forgot to take before AND after pictures. Ugh. I'll try and do better on the passenger side. I also got a coat of black gloss enamel and gloss clear on the battery tray area as well as the front crossmember where there was a ton of rust and lack of paint respectively. I was really pleased with how it turned out, and the black gloss enamel very closely matches the paint in the bay. The color/finish mismatch really isn't noticeable until you're 12 inches away.

This is the best before shot I have

This is as it sits now. Pretty darn good!

Battery tray up close

I FINALLY ordered parts Saturday night, so as long as nothing is out of stock I can start re-assembly soon.
-After more waffling than I thought I was capable of I elected to just go with the same Cometic MLS gaskets I had before. Any near-oem headgasket solution would have required adjustable cam gears. Good idea, but not budget friendly.
-I purchased a few miscellaneous gaskets that weren't already in my pretty extensive collection after a decade of collecting, the most important being new cam seals which appeared to be the source of nearly all my oil leaks.
-I grabbed a magnetic drain plug in the interest of securing a tiny fraction of a safety net in the event my 'polish and forget it' plan doesn't work.
-I got a replacement passenger side cowl to prevent further rusting in the battery tray area. These are notorious for disappearing for whatever reason, my car hasn't had one in the time I've owned it and OEM replacements are very expensive. A company recently began producing OEM quality replicas in the double digits cost-wise which I jumped on.
-New socket head cap screw intake valve cover hardware to replace the OEM Phillips shoulder machine screws that are made of the softest metal known to man. I hate this things with a passion.
-Energy suspension steering rack bushings. Mine feel fine, but everyone says they make a huge difference.
-Upper radiator brackets for aftermarket radiators. No more janky hood prop issues.

I expected the list to be much longer. Maybe it will be if my plan to polish away my issues fails. I've also got a replacement set of cams and heads coming. I'll use the cams right away and the heads will go on a shelf as backups.